


Two Becomes One

by TheLanternWretch



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Angst, Backstory, Death, F/M, Gen, History, Murder, based on lore, fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-14 16:18:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16916196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLanternWretch/pseuds/TheLanternWretch
Summary: The Purifiers, Lucian and Senna, start to make their move on the Shadow Isles to take down some of the biggest threats from the inside before they do more harm to others. However, they bite off more than they can chew once one of the star players show up to ruin their day.





	Two Becomes One

**Author's Note:**

> Everyone who is in the writing community for League and writes any Shadow Isle champs or Lucian, they probably have their own account of what happened the night Senna died. This is what I came up with for my portrayal of the Thresh and Lucian i write. While it's a few years old now, I feel it's still entirely plausible.

                The mist rolled in thick over the Shadow Isles, covering the land in a cloud of darkness and haze. The crescent moon held high in the sky only pierced through the darkness to illuminate the tops of the dead trees and abandoned structures littered throughout large desolate fields that were slowly being converted into mass graveyards by the resident Gravedigger. The silence was deafening, and the air seemed stale. The land of death held true to its reputation, even in atmosphere alone.

                A sudden flash of light broke the monotony of the scene. A strange and warped creature that had skittered across the ground disappeared in a blast of white, leaving only a wisp of smoke and what appeared to be a burnt spot upon the ground. The source of the interruption was made clear as a strong looking woman stepped out from behind the shadow of an over sized rotting tree. She was tall and lean, her jet hair shoulder length and very curly. Despite having a sweet and delicate looking face, it was evident from the way her jacket and pants rested on her body that she was toned, boasting a decent amount of strength. Playfully, she tossed her hair back into place and looked over her shoulder. "It's okay, Lucian, it's gone."

                "Thank goodness, I was so worried." The man that stepped out behind her rolled his eyes. He was taller than her by a few inches and had a similar sleek looking appearance. He couldn't help but chuckle at the woman as she jokingly blew the non-existent smoke off the tip of her white pistol before clearing his throat. "Seriously, Senna. We can't let our guard down. This place is a lot more dangerous than Valoran. We both know the stories and already I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck on end."

                "I know, I know. Just keep your chill, sweetie. We've already been here a while and we've been doing pretty alright. A few straggling ghosts here, a ghoul there, but nothing we couldn't handle." Senna casually popped out a hip, resting her free hand on it, letting her other arm hang down, relaxing her grip on her gun. "Honestly, this is almost like a cute date."

                "Still, I have a bad feeling about this place. Just keep close to me, okay?" Lucian smiled at his wife anyway. She was always ready to get things done. There was something he admired about her stubborn attitude, her fiery passion in their work, and her dedication to their cause. He was usually the more relaxed of the two, choosing to be the one-man clean-up crew to her destruction; someone had to.

                "Yes, dear." To humor him, she took a few steps back and playfully bumped into him. "As close as I can get." Their quiet chortling was cut short by a high-pitched scream that was hurriedly silenced.

                Both their guns were already raised, all signs of banter and teasing were gone. Both their faces showed nothing but absolute concentration and alertness. Silently, Senna motioned in the direction of the scream and started to swiftly maneuver through the shade. Lucian followed closely behind, keeping an eye out behind them for a possible ambush. The two moved as quiet as shadows across the barren land, traveling as a single unit.

                Lucian's nerves were on end - they had moved across quite a bit of ground and ran into nothing. He went to slip past Senna, but her arm threw itself across his chest, holding him back. "Wait - " Her eyes narrowed toward the distance. The Purifier followed her gaze, the two of them looking at a strange sight.

                They were looking at the back of a figure cloaked in an old tattered jacket with a high decorative collar. Not much aside from a lantern, chains, and a scythe in a metal-covered hand could be seen, aside from an unusual flickering green light from behind the coat's edges. Red dripped off the edge of the hook's blade as they noticed what looked like a starved human was laying at his feet. The mortal was whimpering and trying to crawl away from the figure.

                "Now, now-" Lucian and Senna tensed when they heard the inhuman voice slip from the stranger, " - where do you think you're going to go?" They watched the creature lift his boot and slowly bring it down on his victim's back, pinning him to the ground. "I let you get this far because I thought the chase would have been a lot more fun ... but it seems this is all you are. You're not even worth a burial from the Gravedigger."

                Senna gritted her teeth, but Lucian held her back. "Stop-" he whispered urgently to her. "We don't know who this is and what they're capable of." His grip only got tighter as they watched the specter lift his leg only to bring his heel back down on the poor man's head. His face bashed into the stony ground and his screaming continued. As soon as the robed figure started to grind the human's face into the dirt with his sabaton covered foot, Senna threw Lucian's hands off her and ran toward the violent ghost.

                "Stop!" But Lucian's yell fell on deaf ears. She fired a single bullet right at the center of the specter's back. What should have been a single lethal shot was blocked, the flash of the gun's golden light meeting and ending with a flash of green iridescence. Senna slowed her charge as she saw what she was facing. Lucian's blood turned to ice. He knew who this was, details of old nursery rhymes leaking back into his head. Everyone in Valoran grew up on campfire stories of the infamous Chain Warden of the Shadow Isles, but no one could ever confirm if the stories and legends were true. One look at the iconic appearance described in the myths confirmed that he did, in fact, exist... and they had found him.

                Thresh straightened up, his lantern in front of him. No doubt he used the power within the lantern to block the attack from the Purifier's wife. "You ought to be more careful, stranger. You could have hurt me." The specter chuckled, his other hand slipping down the chains off his hip to grasp onto the handle of the large scythe. His gaze dropped to the bleeding man underfoot. "I'm done with you." With a flick of his hand, the lantern moved over the man's head and fell. The height of the drop and weight of the lantern combined was enough to crack open the prisoner's skull. The Warden patiently waited until the man he was keeping pinned under him stopped moving. A second later, a sickly pale green wisp of light escaped from the corpse only to be ensnared inside the jailer's lantern.

                "Now then, time for something a little more... challenging." Thresh took a step toward Senna and Lucian, his lantern floating back up to comfortably rest under his open hand. He made no sudden moves as Lucian jogged forward to stand alongside his wife.

                "Senna-" He quickly whispered under his breath, " - He's carrying that blade in his right hand, so his left side should be weak." He refused to take his eyes off the specter in front of them. Thresh patiently waited for them to finish their conversation - he idly ran a hand down the side of his sickle, rolled his shoulders, stretched himself out a little ...

                The moment the two seemed to focus back on him, the Warden perked back up. "Are you two done? I'm getting a little bored over here." Both Senna and Lucian quickly darted off toward Thresh's right. With a cackle, the Warden reeled his arm back and took aim with his curved blade. As he was about to throw it to snare one of them, Senna quickly pushed off the ground and darted left, firing a few shots at Thresh's open side. To her frustration, he only held up the lantern a second time. It cracked open, the familiar emerald light leaking out and shielding him from her shots yet again.

                "Nice try, but-" He was cut off as a bullet of light tore through the top of his right arm. With a snarl, he turned his attention to Lucian, ignoring the ghastly light leaking out of his fresh wound. Lucian only smiled, keeping his gun aimed at the ghost.        

                "That's right, ugly. These were made specially to destroy things just like you." He aimed again, firing a second round. The Warden, his full attention now being given to these two very real threats, made a noise of annoyance as he appeared to sink right into the shadows on the ground, leaving his precious lantern to float behind. The moment Thresh dropped out of sight, Lucian's stomach tightened with realization.

                "Senna-!"

                But she was already on it, her quick reflexes saving her from taking her husband's own volley of bullets as she dived out of their path. "Lucian, you idiot, shoot him! Not me!" She yelled, scrambling back onto her feet.

                If it were a lesser creature like a zombie or even a vampire, Lucian would have laughed and made some sort of joke in return, but not now. He was aware they were against something that they had never faced before - a something that could cause them a lot of trouble at any given moment. "Stay back from the lantern! It could be just as dangerous as he is!" He kept his pistol focused on the shadows under the floating lantern, sweat beading across his forehead. Senna scanned the area, her arm held straight out and her fingers on the trigger.

                "... Where did he go?" She asked after a moment, giving the haunted lantern a wide berth. "He wouldn't leave this behind, would he?" She tilted her head toward the floating ghostly light.

                "I don't think so. It's probably a part of him. He may be using it as a decoy-"

                "Bingo."

                Lucian jumped at the sudden voice in his ear before he felt a pain sear his back. He felt the specter's blade flay across, tearing his coat and shredding his skin; the force from the swing was enough to throw him forward. He managed to stay on his feet, though the pain raging through his body was enough to get him to stumble and grit his teeth. He turned, aiming his gun but Senna was already on it. His ferocious wife fired a few more times in the Warden's direction, but he speedily returned down into the darkness on the ground with a loud cackle, the bolts of light uselessly flying through the air where Thresh stood only seconds ago.

                "Damn!" The huntress loudly swore. "Are you that much of a coward that you're going to hide rather than face us?" She kept moving, her eyes and head constantly swiveling to try and avoid another sneak attack while Lucian regained his composure. Eerie silence answered her question which only caused her rage to build. "Where are you?!" She unloaded a few shots into random spots on the ground as if that would coax the ghost out from hiding.

                "Senna! Keep your temper!" Her husband called as he steadied himself, his fingers curling tightly onto the handle of his weapon. "He wants you to get angry and sloppy! Just calm down!" He kept an eye on her as well as his surroundings, watching her breathe heavily and snarl under her breath, but trying to keep her head. "We can make it out of here if we work together like we always have, but I need you to focus." His voice, though strong, was also comforting. "Okay?"

                She didn't say a word, but she nodded, acknowledging that she heard him. The two hunters kept themselves on edge, the moments ticking by with nothing happening only straining their patience. Both their nerves were fraying as the only company they had was the harsh glow of the green lantern hovering a few feet off the ground, the chain from the handle of it drawn taut and disappearing into the shadowy ground below...

                Lucian perked up. That was it! The chain! He squinted, making out what direction it was being pulled in and estimating how tight it was being pulled. Aiming his gun, he followed the path of the chain to a patch of shadows almost right across from the two of them.

                "What are you doing?" Senna whispered, but this time, Lucian didn't give an answer. He merely smiled and fired a single shot at the shady earth. The moment the blinding bullet hit the ground, they both heard an angry and pained yell. "Ooh, nice shot." The woman smirked, watching the chains that were still half hidden into the abyss of shadows angrily twitch and move. "And nice on you for noticing that detail. I guess hiding won't work for him anymore, hmm?"

                Before Lucian could respond to his wife's compliment, the chains wildly swiveled around the lantern. The two aimed and into the ground, trying to guess where the Warden would head, but they weren't able to get another well-aimed shot in. A moment later and the two were knocked off their feet as the undead jailer burst from the darkness under their feet. The two humans hit the ground hard a few feet away, both their guns tossed from their hands. Lucian gasped as he felt the air knocked out of his chest; his vision almost went black for a moment.

                "As fun as this was, I'm afraid playtime is over." Thresh hissed, a new hole visible through the far right on his chest. His fingers gripped tightly onto the handle of his scythe, his other hand beckoning his lantern back to his side. "I have other duties I must attend to, so let's wrap this up." Before he could say anything else, movement caught the specter's eye.

                Swift as the wind, Senna had already reclaimed her gun and was thrusting herself to her feet. "I'm glad we feel the same way!" She spat at him, her arm unfurling itself, her finger already pressing the trigger on her gun. She ran at the specter, steams of light continuously shooting from the barrel of her pistol. The pesky lantern quickly unlocked, intercepting most of the damage, but a few grunts told the two of them that the Chain Warden was still taking damage. Finally, the ghost stumbled back, hunching over. There was an opening - Senna leaped in.

                "Wait-!" Lucian watched in horror as Thresh looked up, laughter erupting from his skull, quickly straightening his back. His weakness was nothing but a feint. He quickly lifted his hands. The earth itself seemed to split open as the corrupted energy from the Shadow Isles gathered and sprang up, creating what appeared to be walls around both the Warden and the huntress. Cruel laughter echoed through the air, along with a telltale clang of chains and a scream.

                "SENNA!" The commotion was enough to give Lucian a new rush of adrenaline as he launched himself to his feet. He couldn't see what was going on inside the walls; for the first time in his life, he was terrified... not for himself, but for her. The one who made his life worth living; the one who kept him strong while saving others from creatures of the night. He called again, straining his voice to be heard over the murderous laughter from the ghastly apparition inside. Another clang of chains, another scream.

                Lucian yelled again, but he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned, hopeful, only to see his wife's gun laying on the ground. Panicked, he ran toward the walls. If that bastard of a spirit disarmed her, that meant there was nothing she could do against him now.

                A crashing noise made him slow his pace. Forcing herself through the energy barrier in front of him was his wife. The wall seemed to sap her energy; it appeared she was struggling to even pull herself out from beyond the barrier. She wormed her way out, slowly stumbling toward her husband. Blood dribbled from her mouth and ran freely down her face from her nose. Skin was missing in large patches on her body, and it looked like her one leg took a lot of heavy damage on her thigh, the gashes large and gaping. She opened her mouth and reached out a hand to him, no sound coming out of her freshly bruised throat.

                Abandoning any sense of caution, Lucian darted forward to catch his mutilated wife. He longed to pull her into his arms, to shield her from any more harm. His fingertips only made contact with her arms for less than a second before the telltale sound of chains echoed through the clearing, ending with a sickening squelching noise. The two looked down, Senna gasping and coughing up more thick red blood. Lucian saw the curved blade buried into her side, the curved notch at the end of the hook embedded into her stomach, securing it's catch. Senna looked up at her husband, tears in her eyes, her labored breathing hitting his face. As soon as he had her, she was yanked back with such force that Lucian almost lost his footing.

                The Purifier's screaming was incomprehensible as he ran toward the jailer; he was forced to watch his beloved be pulled back into the arms of the murderous phantom as he closed the distance between them. Almost as if he were smiling, Thresh ran his hands up her bleeding sides, over her shoulders, up her neck, and onto her face. "Say good bye, sweetheart." His words seemed to ooze poison as his sharp fingers curled against her face. The metal tips of his fingers easily slit the skin on her face open; one swift jerk and Lucian watched as his wife's neck was neatly snapped.

                "NO!" He howled, trying to catch her body as the Warden simply let go of his foe's partner. Her corpse hit the ground with a sickening thud, Senna's head twisted at a grotesque angle. Her eyes were open, staring straight off into the horizon where the rising sun started to try and break through the gloomy fog, though the only light left in her brilliant brown eyes was the reflected glow from the nearby lantern.

                "Senna... SENNA." Lucian dropped to his knees, pulling his dead wife into his arms. Hot tears spilled down his face as he hugged her close, his fingers smoothing her matted hair. He ignored the Chain Warden laughing above him. Whatever Thresh did to him didn't matter anymore. The flame of his life was just snuffed out and, in that moment, he saw no point in living any longer. He openly wept, his salty tears sliding onto her broken face and knotted mane. "My beautiful Senna..." He continued to ignore the spiteful and rancorous cackling, but a small voice cut through the laughter.

                The Purifier finally looked up, his red eyes trying to focus. The jailer was still chuckling, though quieter, and was amusing himself with an ethereal haze weaving around his fingers -he was playing with the small mass of brightly glowing energy as if it were a mere toy. "Do you hear that, hunter? She's trying to talk to you. How disgusting." He continued to let the soul frantically bob about his fingers, falling silent so his enemy could hear the small sounds of Senna's voice try to break through from the other side. It was definitely her, but Lucian couldn't make out any words other than what sounded like a sorrowful apology. The sadness he felt started to die off, instead being replaced by anger he had never felt. Not only did Thresh take his precious wife from him, he continued to disrespect her by not letting her properly rest.

                "Does it hurt, human? You can tell me but, of course, I already know the answer." As if reluctant to let go of his new distraction, the Warden moved his hand toward the eagerly awaiting lantern. Senna's voice broke through finally, screaming for her partner and husband as what was left of her soul was pulled into the ravenous lantern. It clicked shut with a snap, and her screaming was stopped short. "What a strong soul. She'll do just fine... So, Lucian, is it?" He turned back to continue his gloating but fell silent seeing Lucian stand, a new look of determination in his eyes. In his right hand was his trusty pistol; in his left, Senna's. The two locked eyes, Lucian spitting at the ground before Thresh.

                "You took the better half of me, Thresh. What you left was a dangerous enemy." He raised the two weapons, the ends of the barrels starting to glow as if eager to engage the abomination in front of him. "This is for Senna." He sprang off the balls of his feet, charging at the Warden and closing the gap between them. A barrage of light exploded from the ends of the guns, Thresh disappearing in a brilliant splash of light. The Purifier kept the shots coming until he was thrust backwards by a clumsy swipe of the sickly luminescent scythe. Thresh was still standing, but only barely. Judging by the damage to his arms, he must have shielded his face with his limbs, relying on the power of the lantern to take a few of the bullets as well.

                "How much more damage can you take, monster?" Lucian spat, eagerly raising the pistols up to fire a second round.

                "More than you can dish out, human." Thresh chanced a laugh before his hand tightened around the handle of his sickle. As Lucian pressed his fingers to the trigger on either gun, the phantom threw his hook out, sweeping it along the ground and taking out Lucian's legs. The man collapsed, the few shots of light he managed to fire off traveling into the trees, shooting off dead branches and twigs. As quickly as his wounded body could, Thresh made his way over to the fallen man. He dropped his heavy scythe and lantern on each of the hunter's arms, pinning him to the ground. To make sure he didn't move, the specter placed a plated boot onto Lucian's chest and pressed down, keeping him on the hard and somber looking dirt. "I believe you lose."

                "Then, go ahead. Take my soul, too. Get it over with and stop wasting both our time. Kill me." The Purifier snarled, trying to tug his weak and tired arms free.

                "Death? No, nothing that simple." The jailer chuckled to the hunter's face. "That would be the easy way out. I'd much rather keep you alive, the guilt of knowing that you couldn't save what was most precious to you eating you from the inside out... besides, I'm not after weak souls." His laughter, though weak, grew cruel at that comment. "No, no, I'll let you go to continue your mission alone. Your precious Senna will stay with me, but don't worry, I'll take good care of her." Thresh reeled his arm back, his fingers closing in a fist.

                "This isn't the last you'll see of me." Lucian threatened, gritting his teeth and ignoring a trickle of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.

                "We'll see, Purifier. We'll see." The Chain Warden's fist swooped down, the force of the punch causing Lucian to black out.

                                                                                        ----------------

                When he finally regained consciousness, Lucian found himself battered and alone. Pushing himself up to unsteadily sit, he rubbed his face before looking around. Aside from damage left from their guns, there was hardly a sign that a violent encounter had happened the previous night. His heart dropped when he realized Senna's body had disappeared, the feeling of loss washing over him again. He let the warm tears well up in his tired and stinging eyes. He knew he was in no condition to try and find her or Thresh. A trip back to Demacia was definitely in order.

                He struggled to get to his feet, stumbling as he tried to stand straight. Slowly, but determinedly, he started making his way back the way the two came the previous night. "I promise, Senna..." he muttered under his breath, "I'll be back for you."


End file.
